Medicare Guide 2025: Washington County resources help seniors navigate their choices

Open Enrollment in Medicare benefits for 2025 will last from October 15 to December 7. Help with the sometimes complicated process is available in Oregon for free.

The Elderly Health Insurance Assistance Program, known as SHIBA, provides free care. Counselors are trained to help seniors navigate the maze of Medicare options to ensure they are making the best choices for their personal circumstances.

Before you start

Before seeking help, there are a few things you should know:

• Medicare card
• MyMedicare.gov login information if you have an account
• Name and address of the pharmacy
• List of all prescription drugs, dosages and dosages
• A list of medical problems or issues you would like to address

Medicare Resources Online

There is a lot of information on the net. visit Medicare.gov and its comparison tool, medicare.gov/plan-compare. The tool lets you compare the costs of a wide range of health care services across multiple drug and Medicare Advantage plans available in your area. It also has performance and quality ratings for each plan. Best of all, it lets you type in your prescription drugs to see which plans cover them and at what cost.

Medicare has expanded its Medigap search engine tool to include cost ranges based on age, gender and smoking status. Access it via bit.ly/MedigapPlanSearch.

Check out the Medicare Rights Center’s interactive site (Medicareinteractive.org) to help you find answers about Medicare benefits.

Read our past coverage (search.oregonlive.com/medicare) when choosing a Medicare plan.

Help with Medicare Open Enrollment by Phone

For welfare questions, call 800-772-1213 (available 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday). To find your local field office, visit ssa.gov/locator for Medicare Part A and Part B issues.

Call 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) with questions about Part D (care plan).

Call the nonprofit Medicare Rights Center’s national helpline at 800-333-4114, Monday through Friday.

Oregon Medicare Open Enrollment Help

Seniors Health Insurance Program (SHIBA) counselors are available by phone between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Some are also planning virtual conferences. Call 800-722-4134 (toll free) to schedule a consultation or visit shiba.oregon.gov.

Check the website for upcoming online presentations. For a personal meeting, do not delay – make an appointment quickly.

Assistance with Medicare Open Enrollment in the District of Washington and District of Columbia

Call 503-846-3094 for information and to schedule an appointment.

Face-to-face consultations, by appointment only, during the entire admissions season or on the specified days:

• Hillsboro Senior Citizens and Veterans Services Building, 5240 NE Elam Young Parkway: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thursday
• Beaverton Elsie Stuhr Center, 5550 SW Hall Blvd.: Wednesday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Sherwood Marjorie Stewart Senior Community Center, 21907 SW Sherwood Blvd.: Wednesdays from noon to 3 p.m.
• Tualatin Juanita Pohl Center, 8513 SW Tualatin Road: 12:30-2:30 p.m. Friday
• Tigard Senior Center, 8815 SW Omara St.: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 14 and 21
• St. Helens Senior Center, 375 S. 15th St.: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 12 and Nov. 26

Scheduled meetings:

• Hillsboro Senior Center, 750 SE Eighth Ave.: Wednesdays from noon to 2 p.m

Other resources

Health insurance brokers often know the choices and can help you choose and purchase a plan. It is probably best to deal with licensed independent brokers. They cover plans from several different insurance companies, undergo plan training each year, and are monitored by state and federal regulators. Consumers do not pay directly for this assistance. Instead, brokers receive sales commissions directly from the plans. You can search for local Medicare brokers in your community at OregonHealthCare.govwebsite: bit.ly/ORAgentSearch. When searching, be sure to scroll down to “Find Local Help” and select “Medicare Agents.”

Check your agent’s license online at bit.ly/or_broker_licenses or call the Oregon Insurance Commissioner’s Division of Consumer Protection at 1-888-877-4894.

Insurance company websites and customer service lines can be good places to check coverage details, but only for their plans. Find this information in our benefit plan and Part D tables in this publication.